December 18, 108 PA - Going Under the Knife to Prevent Permanent Injury

From Chronicles

DAY TWO - December 18, 108 PA

MIXED BLESSING

The party from Kingsdale has broken up, heading their separate ways. It's nearly eleven in the evening, and the temperature has taken a dive below not just freezing, but below the zero mark. Though the town of Mixed Blessing is still hopping with travelers, it's a cool place to be. The snow has been raked off to the sides, and the simple hard-packed dirt roads are now lanes of rutted mud that sucks at the feet of anyone trying to traverse them. Most of the buildings that service travelers, such as inns, repair shops and bars still have lights on.

Still in pain Tek decides the best thing for him to do is look for a healer that can take out the bullets. Seeing an open repair shop he heads that way.

The repair shop is one of the only buildings in the town made of metal. It appears to be a light workshop for working on smaller wilderness vehicles, armor and weapons that are in need of servicing. A small reactor is available to recharge E-Clips. It's quite likely that being one of the only places like this for hundreds of miles, they can probably command high prices. Three technicians are moving around the shop, working on a dune buggy of some kind, while a few hovercycles - obviously from the same command - wait outside.

Wandering up Tek waves over one of the technicians, "I was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction. I am looking for a doctor, would you know of one in town?"

"Eh?" One of the techs, a huge man with African coloring looks up, having barely caught the call above the noise of the shop. He walks forward to Tek, and says, "You don't look hurt?" Then shrugs. "Guess you want one awake right now? Yeah, Doc Travis works out of a place down the street. Across from the comm shack. One with the old red sign. Just bang on his door. Little hard of hearing, but he's fairly decent at patching people up. Someone give you a shank in the gut or something?"

Tek smiles and nods, "Just a couple rounds, only hurts when I move though. Thanks for directions." Turning around Tek starts down the road following directions to the doctor's door and bangs on it.

There is an obvious building with a mass of antennae above. An ancient red sign with an 'R' offset inside a circle, with the words, 'The Shack' written next to it clarifies its identity. The doctor's office has one light on, but it's a small green neon sign declaring, "The Do_to_ Is _n." Only some of its letters are working, but perfection can't be expected out here.

Having banged on the door fairly loud the first time Tek waits a moment before knocking again, giving the doctor a moment to come to the door.

The second time's a charm. The door creaks open - a shriveled dwarf opens it up, "Eh? You bleeding?" It's not rude, but neither is a fantastic bedside manner. Looking past the short fellow, the place looks clean enough.

Tek shakes his head, "Not anymore, though I still have several bullets in my gut that hurt like the dickens. Are you a doctor?" Giving the man a once over, Tek moves closer hoping to be let inside.

The dwarf scoots to the side to allow Tek indoors. "Yes, I'm a doctor. See the sign?" He jumps up to slap the neon sign for emphasis, knocking out another letter - the 'D' - as he does. Then the door is closed and the place immediately becomes comfortable and warm. "I'm Doctor Travis. How'd you get bullets in you, but not be bleeding? Please sit on the table." He ushers Tek into a back room where a standard examination table awaits.

Tek makes his way to the back room taking off his backpack and then removes his armor. As he does so he explains, "My convoy was attacked by bandits a few miles away from here. We managed to fight them off but during it I managed to take a few. Another of my party was able to do a quick healing but not remove the bullets. Think you can help?"

"Oh, sure, sure. I'm a good doctor. Lay down and let me poke you." Travis pulls out a stethoscope and a few other, more modern instruments and pushes Tek down. "Remove your clothing, wherever you got the bullets, please."

Tek lays back and pulls up his shirt and points to where the bullets are saying, "Here and here."

Travis says nothing, just climbing up a ladder to lean in and listen with the earpiece. Then some kind of scanner is run up and down Tek's abdomen. The dwarf frowns, then brings in his hands, pushing and prodding. "Oh, yes. There they are. Well, I'll have to cut you open. Surgery room's open right now, and you'll need a little recovery time before running out without ripping stitches. Yes? No?"

Tek nods, "As long as I can be on the ferry that leaves tomorrow, though as long as you get the bullet out I can manage the recovery. How much?"

"Oh, sure. Just don't move around a lot for a day or so. Four thousand. For the time and the equipment, that's a good deal to get you up and on your way without chronic abdominal pain." Doctor Travis points a dwarven finger at Tek. "I know, leave it in too long and you'll be hurt permanently. And 'too long' isn't very long. So, payment, then up on the table?" He points off to door to access what is apparently a surgical room.

Tek says, "I only have thirty four hundred. Will that be ok?"

"Eh... I'll take it now, but keep my eye on you. Before you hop on that ferry tomorrow, you cough up the rest?" Travis steps back and hooks his stethoscope behind his neck in typical doctor fashion. "Or the ferry doesn't go. I know the guy who runs it."

Tek shakes his head, "I am not sure I can come up with the other six hundred credits by then. We will be coming back this way on our way back to Kingsdale, I can give it to you then for sure. That is the best promise I can make."

"Six hundred? What, are you traveling the wilderness alone with no friends to cough up a few credits to fix up their guy?" The dwarf steps back. "Don't yank me. Nobody comes through here alone, and there's always someone around. Or maybe you could give me something in trade that I might find useful?" Travis floats out the option, "I could point you to a less-competent doctor who'd do it cheaper."

Tek says, "I can't guarantee that those I am traveling with will be willing to pay for me to get fixed up, "I am one helluva mechanic. Do you need anything fixed maybe I can work off the remainder?"

The dwarf seems happy enough with the promise of payment from Tek's comrades. "Okay, they cover the rest. You pay me what you have now. You don't get covered, the ferry doesn't move. Strip down please. You'll need to take your shorts off for this one."

Tek shakes his head, "I think we are miscommunicating. I can not promise that my comrades will cover the six hundred credits. I was offering my mechanical services to cover the rest. Otherwise I will just have to keep the bullets in I guess."

"Sorry, but this isn't a charity, and I don't go anywhere. Business's good here in town. You have any collateral?" The dwarf raises an eyebrow. "Pay me what you have, give me something to cover the rest. If I get the rest, you get it back. If not, I keep it? I've done that with people moving through here."

Tek nods, "I have this here vibro-knife. Will that work?"

The dwarf looks it over, and says, "If it works? Sure."

Tek moves over to the table and disrobes, "Alright let's do this then."

Travis takes the knife and dumps it unceremoniously into a drawer with a bunch of other things that appear to possibly be collateral items never recovered. "Okay, up on the table! Oh, you're up. Alright." He climbs a small ladder again and slides a bunch of instruments over to him. Since I have to open you up, you're going to need a general, so you need an IV, to. Just relax your arm for me." As he waits for said arm, he tries to lighten the mood - perhaps. "So, what's your name?"

Tek follows the instructions for the IV, "I'm called Tek. Can fix anything any time any place."

The dwarven doctor pushes Tek back onto the table. He's pretty decent at sliding it in, there should be little pain. Though it's not exactly fun to have a large needle stuck in the crook of your elbow. "Okay. I'm going to introduce the anesthetic. It's going to feel very cold. Any last words?" Perhaps an ominous way to go out, but it might just be policy.

Tek smiles, "I'll see you on the other side."

Travis nods, and indeed there should be a rather painful sensation of cold beginning to run through his patient's arm. "Okay, please count down from ten for me."

Tek says, "Alrighty, but that just seems corny. Here goes... Ten..... Ni....." *snore*

An unknown time period passes for Tek, where he has dreams that he won't remember when he awakens. A period in which Travis does a very good job of properly sterilizing the area for the incision. A very good job of making the cut itself. A very good job of splaying open a man's innards without spilling them onto the table. A very good job of hunting around internal organs to find four blunted projectiles. Finally, a very good job at suturing up the wound and putting sterile bandages on it. Tek is wheeled into a recovery room, where the doctor looks after him - he could really use a nursing assistant - until the anesthetic finally wears off. By that time, the sky to the east is just beginning to wax over in orange and yellow. "Ah! Good morning, you survived!" A strange way to greet a patient, but the dwarf seems pleased.

Tek looks up with a smile, "Ahh yes Doctor Travis, you are a wonderful man. You saved my life and for that I love you man. Did you know that? That I love you man?" Then looking around he continues, "Where is Val at? You should meet her. I love her too and cause I love you I know you will love her, right? I mean you know Doc?"

Travis presses Tek back to the table with a dwarf's strength. "Yes, yes. Pay me! The surgery went very well. You'll have to keep from excessive bending or any sudden moves for about two days, but then you'll be all healed up. I had to cut you open pretty large. How'd you get those things in there, they were big!" He traces a Y-shaped incision. "Splayed back the flesh, hunted around. They're all out. Here, souvenirs." He holds the bullets out in his hand. "Is this 'Val' going to pay me? Oh, and I went through your wallet and grabbed the knife while you were under."

Tek goes through all his stuff to make sure nothing else is missing before saying, "You got your pay. I will see what I can do about the six hundred credits, that vibro-knife is worth more than that so you know I will do my best to get it back. Thanks for the patch up job doc." He then slowly makes his way over to his stuff before putting on his helmet in order to use his radio to call Val.

The dwarf flinches as Tek gets up sooner than he'd intended. "Careful, careful! Those are fresh! You rip them out, and you'll just be back here again."

Tek slowly and carefully puts back on his armor before slowly making his way out the door, "Thanks again Doctor Travis." Then slowly he starts to make his way back to the inn they are all staying at.

"Yes, yes. Remember, collateral!" Travis is happy enough. He's been paid, one way or another. He was a successful surgeon. There's a pretty lady waiting back in his room. Life is good. He flips a switch, which lights up a perfect neon sign in red: 'The Doctor is Out.'